Answers to I-Luv-Dolls Mass Blogger Interview!

 I-Luv-Dolls posted a Mass Blogger interview questionnaire and I decided to go ahead and answer it. I encourage you to answer it too - I'm very interested in everyone's response!


When did you start collecting dolls?
- Collecting? I think it started with the Irwin Sailor Moon dolls and moved on from that. I discovered Volks Dollfies and it kind of went from there.

What was your first purchase as a collector?
 - I would say my first real puchase was my Irwin Sailor Moon Emerald. She's still around here somewhere but her hair is a wreck!

How many dolls do you own?
- I really couldn't tell you...

What is your favorite doll and why?
- I really have alot of favorites... one of my favorites is my Limhwa Half-Elf Cora. I sold her once and then found I was horribly lonely without her.. so I repurchased her in a better resin. Of my 1/6th dolls I have so many favorites. Phina is obviously a favorite of mine (as you can tell because she is always getting her picture taken). I also love my Brides of Dracula Mina version 2 Hekate. I have a few Barbies that I'm really partial too as well. I would count my Head for Glamour Agnes named Adela as a favorite as well!

What doll or dolls are not your favorites and why?
- I'm going to be posting about this soon, but for a long time I didn't "get" the Monster High dolls at all. I didn't understand the hype or craze over them. One day I decided to check out one of the videos on Youtube and saw that my one-year-old went into a near hypnotic state. After watching the videos with her, I can kind of appreciate the Monster High dolls as "character" dolls since I think the show is really cute. A doll I don't see myself converting from disliking anytime soon though are Reborns. I just can't get it. And they really freak me out the way some people sort of "believe" they are real.

What is the biggest challenge about collecting dolls?
- Money. Of course. Some dolls I want are really expensive - some items I want for my dolls are really expensive. I think the expense is a big prohibitive factor.

How do you display or store your dolls?
- My 1/3rd scale BJD's sit in a bookcase for now until I can come up with a more creative way of displaying them. My 1/6th dolls are sitting in one of two dioramas and I hope that they will all have at least a place to sit and be comfortable in dioramas to come. That's my goal.

Have you ever been to a doll show?
- I have. It was fun but it was really geared towards baby doll collectors. I did get some great rement out of it though and I would love to go to more.

When you travel, do you look for dolls?
- Yes I do! I love to shop for dolls even though I mainly just window-shop and do most of my buying online.

What is your latest purchase?
- My latest purchase is a nude James Bond Dr. No barbie. I absolutely am in love with her face. I think she may better fit Maven's character then the redheaded Barbie Basic I have for her now. She's just drop dead gorgeous.

What doll is on your wish list now?
- I would really like to purchase a Beach Bunny Sooki or an In-The-Mix Takeo. I have a character for Sooki and I think Takeo has potential for a couple of characters of mine. I would also like to get some Volks Neo Goh heads and bodies so I can actually get some dudes up in here. Marquis (FR Darius) is feeling pretty lonely!

What do you wish you didn’t purchase?
- I don't really have alot of "doll regrets" if you will. There were a couple of 1/3rd size BJD's that I purchased that I wasn't too happy with. But I didn't take too big of a loss on selling them back.

What is your favorite doll related item?
- My favorite doll related item in general is the Obitsu body. You can buy them from Junky Spot. They are by far the best articulated bodies I own and Emory's (JunkySpot's Owner) customer service absolutely cannot be topped.

How often do you photo your dolls and what doll is the most photographed
and/or photogenic?
- I photo my dolls when I get an idea or when I have something new to show. Phina (1/6) and Cora (1/3) are my two most photographed in their respective collections.

Do you talk to other collectors in person or just on the web?
- Liz and I have been friends for 7 years now. She lives in Michigan, I live in Indiana. So we visit each other usually at least once a month. She is really the only collector I've seen in person in a while but we are hoping to get together to resurrect our "Midwest Meet" and see if we can rope in some other folks to come and spend a day of fun and dolls together.

If you had the chance to speak to Mattel or other toy makers, what would you say?
- Please consider continuing to make articulated dolls. It really enhances the play factor. We all loved pivotal bodies, but playline fashionistas are a stroke of genius that I hope will continue for years to come.

What doll do you wish would be reissued?
- I wish Volks wouldn't have this moratorium on their 1/6th Dollfies. It's really pissing me off.

What two dolls would you combine and how would you want themc ombined? (Muff style question)
- I wish all dolls would be on varying Obitsu style bodies! Really their articulation and look and feel are THAT good.